kibunesou — Restaurant in Kyoto

We visited this restaurant to experience a kawadoko lunch in late Spring (early May) but on that day the weather was really cold and wet but the food, thankfully was warming and delicious. Before we visited, we thankfully had our bilingual receptionist at our hotel in Kyoto to call the restaurant and book both our lunch service and the set menu we were planning to order on arrival. She also took the time to explain the items to us in English so that we knew what kinds of foods we would be eating, which I think was very important and helpful for non-english speaking visitors as the restaurant does not have English menus and the server spoke very little English.

We were seated on tatami matts right next to a waterfall which was such a gorgeous and calming experience, I can only imagine how much more pleasant it would have been if the weather had been warmer. There was some difficulty with understanding the provided sheet menu but with our pre-planning beforehand we knew what to expect. The price tag is quite pricey but for the experience and style of cooking of locally sourced produce you would probably not enjoy some of the food options if you are unfamiliar with some of the traditional Japanese dishes. I recommend being open minded and if you want to experience this or pick a menu that closely reflects your preferential taste palette. The service was prompt and consistent with the server coming and going, collecting and replacing the utensils or plates as each menu item was brought out.

We really enjoyed the experience, the staff were so lovely and the food, scenery and experience was well worth the price tag. Would love...

We knew this place was popular, so my wife booked months in advance and supplied credit card details as requested. When you make the booking you have the option of placing orders at the time which we decided was a good idea. The day before the booking, we received a message confirming the booking and food orders for our family (including two children’s meals for our kids) which states that if we don’t turn up, the meals get charged to the credit card. This is fair enough, I assume the place gets people no-showing from time to time... makes sense. What was disappointing was that our kids meals were forgotten about.After asking no less that four staff members about the kids meals, the meals arrived half hour later when myself and wife were into our second course. Staff didn’t even seem to have basic understanding of English which surprised me considering there were more English speaking westerners in the town than Japanese people. Location is nice and well set out, that’s about the only good thing about the experience. If you’re looking for something traditional or off the beaten track, try elsewhere. This place is very touristy and streets are full of self absorbed people taking...

Wonderful evening at this riverbed restaurant. Situated to the north of Kyoto it's a good 30min drive from central Kyoto. We paid 5,000 yen each way in a taxi. We were greeted by a very friendly manager who was delightful from start to finish. She took great care to explain the restaurant and ensure we were very happy. The tables are traditional Japanese with very low table and tatami mats. If you are accustomed to sitting cross legged this is great. If you are a modern westerner however this can be quite uncomfortable. I ended out sitting an a variety of positions, none really comfortable. If you have hip, back, knee to ankle issues this may not be a comfortable dinner for you. Sitting on a platform above the flowing water was great with sounds and cool air rushing past. Seating aside the food was amazing. You preorder a menu and you are "surprised" with a seasonal feast on your arrival. Our food was amazing and the steak was absolutely tender and extremely tender. Sushi was equally as good. We all had a wonderful (though a little uncomfortable) evening with a food and ambient experience I will not forget. Highly...